Novel door lock mechanism and household appliance

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of household appliance door lock mechanisms, and provides a novel door lock mechanism and a household appliance. The lock catch is used for being matched with the lock seat, and the lock catch is elastically and movably arranged on the door lock mechanism; the driver is used for triggering the lock catch to be separated from the lock seat; when the door body is closed, the lock catch moves to the first to-be-determined position under the action of the driver, the lock catch is separated from the lock seat, when the driver resets, the lock catch elastically resets to the second to-be-determined position, and when the door body is closed, the lock catch elastically resets to the second to-be-determined position and can be locked with the lock seat. The lock catch moves to the first to-be-determined position through the driver, after the driver is reset, the lock catch is elastically reset, automatic unlocking and automatic locking of the door lock mechanism are achieved, the door lock mechanism is applied to the household appliance, the locking operation of a door body of the household appliance is effectively simplified, and the unlocking action of the door body of the household appliance is simplified.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of door lock mechanisms for household appliances, and particularly to a new type of door lock mechanism for household appliances. Background Art

[0002] With the popularization of smart home devices, the safety and convenience of home appliance products have become the focus of user attention. As the core component of door-equipped household appliances (such as disinfection cabinets, dishwashers, washing machines, microwave ovens, etc.), the reliability of the door lock mechanism directly affects the user experience of the product. Traditional door locks mostly adopt mechanical snap structures, which have problems such as large unlocking force, high noise, and fast wear. Especially in household appliances with frequent opening and closing, it is easy to cause mechanism fatigue or failure.

[0003] Door-equipped household appliances are provided with a door lock mechanism to prevent the door of the household appliance from being opened randomly. When the household appliance is working, in order to prevent children from opening the working household appliance out of curiosity, a corresponding door lock mechanism is provided on the household appliance.

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to design a door lock mechanism with a compact structure, high transmission efficiency, and long service life. By optimizing the driving path and the transmission cooperation between moving parts, the wear of the moving fit between moving parts is reduced. At the same time, combined with the elastic reset and automatic ejection functions, the intelligent level and user experience of home appliance products are further improved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention provides a new type of door lock mechanism and household appliance. The lock catch moves to a first pending position through the driver. After the driver resets, the lock catch elastically resets to achieve automatic unlocking and automatic locking of the door lock mechanism.

[0006] A new type of door lock mechanism designed according to this purpose includes a lock catch and a driver; The lock catch is used to cooperate with the lock seat, and the lock catch is elastically movably arranged on the door lock mechanism; The driver is used to trigger the lock catch to disengage from the lock seat; The lock catch moves to a first pending position under the action of the driver, and the lock catch disengages from the lock seat. When the driver resets, the lock catch elastically resets to a second pending position.

[0007] A slider is provided between the driver and the lock catch. The driver is provided with a drive shaft, and the slider is arranged at the end position of the drive shaft and is connected to the drive shaft; The driver drives the slider to move through the drive shaft. During the movement of the slider, it acts on the lock catch, thereby triggering the movement of the lock catch.

[0008] The slider is provided with an inclined surface. When the latch is in the second pending position, the slider moves under the action of the driver and acts on the latch through the inclined surface, and the latch moves from the second pending position along the direction of the first pending position.

[0009] The latch is provided with a protrusion that cooperates with the slider. The protrusion is provided with an arc surface that cooperates with the inclined surface. The protrusion forms a point contact, line contact or surface contact with the inclined surface to reduce the contact friction area between the latch and the slider.

[0010] The novel door lock mechanism further includes a mounting seat. The driver, the slider and the latch are arranged along the length direction of the mounting seat and mounted on the mounting seat.

[0011] The drive shaft is axially telescopically movably arranged on the driver. During the telescopic movement of the drive shaft, the drive shaft drives the slider to move; alternatively, the drive shaft is rotatably movably arranged on the driver, and the slider is in threaded cooperation with the drive shaft. During the rotational movement of the drive shaft, the slider moves axially on the drive shaft.

[0012] The novel door lock mechanism further includes an elastic member. The elastic member is a spring. One end of the elastic member elastically acts on the latch, and the latch is elastically movably arranged on the door lock mechanism through the elastic member.

[0013] A household appliance designed according to this purpose includes a body and a door body that opens and closes on the body through a hinge. The novel door lock mechanism is provided between the body and the door body, wherein the lock seat is arranged on the body, and the latch and the driver are arranged on the door body.

[0014] The household appliance further includes an elastic pushing mechanism. When the latch moves to the first pending position, the elastic pushing mechanism releases elastic force and pushes the door body along the opening direction of the door body to realize the automatic opening of the door body in the unlocked state of the door body; The household appliance is a dishwasher, a washing machine, a refrigerator, a disinfection cabinet, an oven, a microwave oven, a microwave steam oven, an oven, or an electric steam oven; Alternatively, the elastic pushing mechanism is arranged on the corresponding accessories of the body; When the household appliance is a dishwasher, the body is provided with a bowl basket for loading tableware, and the elastic pushing mechanism is arranged on the bowl basket.

[0015] The beneficial technical effects of the present invention are as follows: The latch moves to the first pending position through the driver. After the driver resets, the latch elastically resets, realizing the automatic unlocking and automatic locking of the door lock mechanism. When this door lock mechanism is applied to household appliances, it effectively simplifies the locking operation and unlocking action of the door body of household appliances. Description of the Drawings

[0016] Figure 1Schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of the latch in the first pending position of the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 2 Schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of the latch in the second pending position of the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 3 Schematic exploded three-dimensional structure diagram of the door lock mechanism of the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 4 Schematic three-dimensional structure diagram of the mounting base of the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 5 Schematic three-dimensional cross-sectional structure diagram of the elastic ejection mechanism of the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 6 Schematic three-dimensional cross-sectional structure diagram of another door lock mechanism provided between the household appliance and the body in the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 7 It is Figure 6 The enlarged view at position A in

[0023] Figure 8 Schematic three-dimensional cross-sectional structure diagram of the door lock mechanism of the second embodiment of the present invention. Detailed implementation manners

[0024] Next, in combination with the embodiments of the present invention, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. In order to make the above objects, features, and advantages of the present application more obvious and understandable, many specific details are set forth in the following description for a thorough understanding of the present application. However, the present application can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar improvements without departing from the connotation of the present application. Therefore, the present application is not limited by the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0025] First embodiment: Refer to Figures 1 - 5 , a novel door lock mechanism, including a latch 2 and a driver 3; The latch 2 is used to cooperate with the lock base 1, and the latch 2 is elastically movably arranged on the door lock mechanism; The driver 3 is used to trigger the latch 2 to disengage from the lock base 1; The latch 2 moves to the first pending position under the action of the driver 3, and the latch 2 disengages from the lock base 1. When the driver 3 resets, the latch 2 elastically resets to the second pending position.

[0026] The latch 2 is moved to the first pending position by the driver 3. After the driver 3 is reset, the latch 2 is elastically reset. When the door body is closed, the latch 2 is elastically reset to the second pending position and can be locked with the lock base 1, realizing the automatic unlocking and automatic locking of the door lock mechanism. This door lock mechanism is applied to household appliances, effectively simplifying the locking operation and unlocking action of the door body of household appliances.

[0027] A slider 4 is provided between the driver 3 and the latch 2. The driver 3 is provided with a drive shaft 5. The slider 4 is arranged at the end position of the drive shaft 5, and the slider 4 is connected to the drive shaft 5. In this embodiment, a clamping groove is provided at one end of the slider 4, and one end of the drive shaft 5 is clamped and positioned in the clamping groove of the slider 4. The drive shaft 5 is an electric telescopic push rod.

[0028] The driver 3 drives the slider 4 to move through the drive shaft 5. During the movement of the slider 4, it acts on the latch 2, thereby triggering the movement of the latch 2.

[0029] The slider 4 serves as an intermediate transmission member in the unlocked state of the latch 2, triggering the movement of the latch 2, with efficient transmission.

[0030] The slider 4 is provided with an inclined surface 4.1. When the latch 2 is in the second pending position, the slider 4 moves under the action of the driver 3 and acts on the latch 2 through the inclined surface 4.1, and the latch 2 moves along the direction of the first pending position.

[0031] The design of the inclined surface 4.1 converts the horizontal movement of the slider 4 into the vertical displacement of the latch 2, realizing the conversion of the force direction, and making the unlocking process smoother.

[0032] The latch 2 is provided with a protrusion 2.1 that cooperates with the slider 4. The protrusion 2.1 is provided with an arc surface that cooperates with the inclined surface 4.1. The protrusion 2.1 forms a point contact, line contact or surface contact with the inclined surface 4.1 to reduce the contact friction area between the latch 2 and the slider 4.

[0033] The arc surface of the protrusion 2.1 forms a point / line contact with the inclined surface 4.1, significantly reducing the frictional resistance and avoiding the jamming problem caused by wear after long-term use, and prolonging the service life of the mechanism.

[0034] The new door lock mechanism further includes a mounting base 7. The driver 3, the slider 4 and the latch 2 are arranged along the length direction of the mounting base 7 and installed on the mounting base 7.

[0035] In this embodiment, an installation cavity 7.1 is provided on the mounting base 7. A vertical limit guiding groove 7.2 corresponding to the locking latch 2 is provided in the installation cavity 7.1, and a horizontal limit guiding groove 7.3 corresponding to the sliding block 4 is provided in the installation cavity 7.1. A horizontal limit rib 4.2 is provided at the bottom of the sliding block 4, and the horizontal limit rib 4.2 is limit-mounted in the horizontal limit guiding groove 7.3. A vertical limit rib 2.2 is provided on the side of the locking latch 2, and the vertical limit rib 2.2 is limit-mounted in the vertical limit guiding groove 7.2. When the sliding block 4 moves axially, the horizontal limit rib 4.2 is limited to move in the horizontal limit guiding groove 7.3, preventing the sliding block 4 from shifting during the movement. When the locking latch 2 moves up and down along the lock base 1, the vertical limit rib 2.2 is limited to move within the vertical limit guiding groove 7.2, avoiding the locking latch 2 from shifting during the movement.

[0036] The mounting base 7 integrates the driver 3, the sliding block 4 and the locking latch 2, with a compact layout, facilitating assembly and maintenance. At the same time, the rigidity of the overall structure is enhanced, preventing misalignment assembly of components.

[0037] The drive shaft 5 is axially telescopically movably arranged on the driver 3, and the drive shaft 5 drives the sliding block 4 to move during the telescopic movement. The novel door lock mechanism further includes an elastic member 6. The elastic member 6 is a spring, and one end of the elastic member 6 elastically acts on the locking latch 2. The locking latch 2 is elastically movably arranged on the door lock mechanism through the elastic member 6.

[0038] The elastic member 6 provides a stable reset elastic force, ensuring that the locking latch 2 quickly returns to the second pending position, preventing the locking latch 2 from randomly disengaging from the lock base 1 after the driver 3 resets.

[0039] An appliance includes a body 8 and a door body 10 that opens and closes on the body 8 through a hinge 9. The novel door lock mechanism is provided between the body 8 and the door body 10, where the lock base 1 is arranged on the body 8, and the locking latch 2 and the driver 3 are arranged on the door body 10.

[0040] In this embodiment, the door body 10 includes a door panel and a door frame. An installation position for assembling the mounting base 7 is provided between the door panel and the door frame. An avoidance hole is provided in the door frame corresponding to the protruding end of the locking latch 2. When the door body 10 is closed on the body 8, the locking latch 2 elastically protrudes along the avoidance hole and is locked on the lock base 1 of the body 8. When the door body 10 is opened, the locking latch 2 is always in the first pending position. When the door body 10 is closed, a corresponding microswitch is triggered, the driver 3 resets, and the locking latch 2 elastically resets to the second pending position.

[0041] The appliance further includes an elastic pushing mechanism 11. When the locking latch 2 moves to the first pending position, the elastic pushing mechanism 11 releases the elastic force and pushes the door body 10 along the opening direction of the door body 10 to achieve automatic opening of the door body 10 in the unlocked state of the door body 10.

[0042] The elastic ejection mechanism 11 automatically pushes open the door body 10 at the moment of unlocking, thereby realizing contactless opening of the door body 10. The user does not need to manually open the door body 10 after the door body 10 is unlocked, thereby effectively simplifying the door opening operation.

[0043] The elastic ejection mechanism 11 is arranged at the opening and closing portion between the machine body 8 and the door body 10 .

[0044] In this embodiment, the elastic ejection mechanism 11 includes an elastic push rod 17 and a compression spring 14. The elastic push rod 17 is installed on the fixing member 15. The body 8 includes a top frame 16. The fixing member 15 is provided with an assembly cavity for installing the elastic push rod 17 and the compression spring 14. The fixing member 15 is fixed on the inner side of the top frame 16. The top frame 16 is provided with an air avoidance hole corresponding to the elastic telescopic end of the elastic push rod 17. One end of the compression spring 14 elastically acts on the elastic push rod 17, and the other end of the compression spring 14 elastically acts on the assembly cavity. When the door body 10 is closed, the door body 10 squeezes the elastic ejection mechanism 11, and the compression spring 14 is in a compressed state. When the door body 10 is in an unlocked state, the compression spring 14 releases the elastic force, and the elastic push rod 17 elastically pushes the door body 10 to open.

[0045] The household appliance is a dishwasher, a washing machine, a refrigerator, a disinfection cabinet, an oven, a microwave oven, a microwave-steaming and baking machine, a light wave oven, or an electric steaming oven; Alternatively, the elastic ejection mechanism 11 is arranged on a corresponding accessory of the machine body 8 .

[0046] When the household appliance is a dishwasher, the machine body 8 is provided with a bowl basket 13 for loading tableware, and the elastic ejection mechanism 11 is arranged on the bowl basket 13 .

[0047] Second embodiment: See also Figures 6 - 8 A new door lock mechanism is different from the first embodiment in that: the drive shaft 5 is rotatably arranged on the driver 3, the slider 4 is threadedly matched with the drive shaft 5, and the slider 4 moves axially on the drive shaft 5 during the rotation of the drive shaft 5.

[0048] In this embodiment, the driver 3 is a motor, a gear transmission structure 12 is provided between the driver 3 and the drive shaft 5, the driver 3 is connected to the drive shaft 5 through the gear transmission structure 12, the drive shaft 5 is a screw, and the slider 4 is provided with an internal thread matched with the screw. When the screw rotates, the slider 4 moves axially along the screw.

[0049] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A novel door lock mechanism, characterized in that: It includes a latch (2) and a driver (3); The latch (2) is used to cooperate with a lock base (1), and the latch (2) is elastically and movably arranged on the door lock mechanism; The driver (3) is used to trigger the latch (2) to disengage from the lock base (1); The latch (2) moves to a first pending position under the action of the driver (3), and the latch (2) disengages from the lock base (1). When the driver (3) resets, the latch (2) elastically resets to a second pending position.

2. The novel door lock mechanism according to claim 1, wherein: A slider (4) is provided between the driver (3) and the latch (2). The driver (3) is provided with a drive shaft (5), and the slider (4) is arranged at the end position of the drive shaft (5); The driver (3) drives the slider (4) to move through the drive shaft (5). During the movement of the slider (4), it acts on the latch (2), thereby triggering the movement of the latch (2).

3. The novel door lock mechanism according to claim 2, wherein: The slider (4) is provided with an inclined surface (4.1). When the latch (2) is in the second pending position, the slider (4) moves under the action of the driver (3) and acts on the latch (2) through the inclined surface (4.1), and the latch (2) moves from the second pending position along the direction of the first pending position.

4. The novel door lock mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that: The latch (2) is provided with a protrusion (2.1) that cooperates with the slider (4). The protrusion (2.1) is provided with an arc surface that cooperates with the inclined surface (4.1). The protrusion (2.1) forms a point contact, line contact or surface contact with the inclined surface (4.1) to reduce the contact friction area between the latch (2) and the slider (4).

5. The novel door lock mechanism according to claim 2, wherein: It further includes a mounting base (7). The driver (3), the slider (4) and the latch (2) are arranged along the length direction of the mounting base (7) and mounted on the mounting base (7).

6. The novel door lock mechanism according to claim 2, wherein: The drive shaft (5) is axially telescopically and movably arranged on the driver (3). During the telescopic movement of the drive shaft (5), it drives the slider (4) to move; or, the drive shaft (5) is rotationally and movably arranged on the driver (3). The slider (4) is in threaded cooperation with the drive shaft (5). During the rotational movement of the drive shaft (5), the slider (4) moves axially on the drive shaft (5).

7. The novel door lock mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: It further includes an elastic member (6). One end of the elastic member (6) elastically acts on the latch (2), and the latch (2) is elastically and movably arranged on the door lock mechanism through the elastic member (6).

8. A household appliance, comprising a body (8) and a door body (10) that opens and closes on the body (8), characterized in that: The novel door lock mechanism according to any one of claims 1-7 is provided between the body (8) and the door body (10), wherein the lock base (1) is arranged on the body (8), and the latch (2) and the driver (3) are arranged on the door body (10).

9. The household appliance according to claim 8, characterized in that: It further includes an elastic pushing mechanism (11). When the latch (2) moves to the first pending position, the elastic pushing mechanism (11) releases elastic force and pushes the door body (10) along the opening direction of the door body (10) to realize the automatic opening of the door body (10) when the door body (10) is in the unlocked state.

10. The household appliance according to claim 9, characterized in that: The elastic pushing mechanism (11) is arranged at the opening and closing position between the body (8) and the door body (10); or, the elastic pushing mechanism (11) is arranged on the corresponding fittings of the body (8); The household appliance is a dishwasher, a washing machine, a refrigerator, a disinfection cabinet, an oven, a microwave oven, a microwave steam oven, a light wave oven or an electric steam oven.

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